Artie stared at him for a bit. "It amazes me to hear a boy say those words," she said, amused.
Harry grinned back. "I like you, too, Artie, and from what Hestia has said, that's strange, too."
The Goddess of the Hunt shook her head in amusement. "This way," she said, striding off and expecting him to follow.
"Phoebe has a lot of problems with boys and men," Artie said, apparently having seen what happened without actually looking. "If you keep away from her, there shouldn't be an issue."
"Okay, Artie," Harry said, looking over his shoulder at the Hunter called Phoebe, who was now seemingly talking animatedly with the Hunter next to her. Whatever it was she was saying must have been important, as there was lots of hand-waving going on.
Harry turned back to focus on Artie and watch where he was going. It wouldn't do to bump into her, not here. Harry was really starting to doubt this arrangement. The Hunters really
Used to the way she would sometimes issue short commands, Harry followed her into the camp. It was arranged in a circle, with identical tents surrounding a campfire. He smiled at the sight of the fire; fires had started setting him at ease ever since Hestia had taught him some of her skills.
Harry flinched when he noticed that a dozen large, white, wolves were circling the tents. The animals eyed him as if he were food.
One of the Hunters was feeding a treat to one of the wolves, but stopped when she noticed him. In fact, every Hunter that noticed him, stopped and stared. Some of them stared angrily, too.
One Hunter seemed to suddenly have a bow in her hands. Harry blinked, not having seen where she had been keeping the weapon, but when the Hunter started raising it, he took two quick steps to be closer to Artie.
He resisted the urge to grab her hand and hide; Artie wasn't Hestia and after the talk they just had regarding hugging, he didn't think Artie would take kindly to the action.
Even though he desperately wanted to. He looked back. The Hunter no longer had her bow out and was just grinning at him now. He sighed in relief. So he'd fallen for her trick. At least she hadn't really wanted to shoot him. She studied him in return.
Artie didn't seem troubled by the dragging silence, and sat watching them with an amused smile on her lips.
Harry noticed first. "You're enjoying this!" he accused.
Zoë bristled. "Thou should show respect to My Lady!" she snapped out. Harry looked at her in confusion at the outburst.
did seem to hate him, not like Artie, who was just cool and standoffish, but in a very real 'I will hurt you' kind of way.
"Here we are," Artie said, pulling the flap back on a tent that looked just like all the others, and stepped inside. Harry hurried after her.
Artie stepped up to the middle of the tent, which appeared to be far larger on the inside, and sat down next to the Hunter that was already present. Harry looked around, curious. The tent was warm and comfortable, with silk rugs and pillows covering the floor. In the center, a golden brazier was burning without smoke. Harry smiled at it, grateful for its presence.
Behind Artie stood a polished oak display case, holding the silver bow he had seen when she had split his arrow. This time, he got a closer look at it, and noticed that it was carved into the shape of horns. He continued his look, his gaze gliding over the walls covered in animal pelts of all types and kinds.
Something moved, something Harry hadn't noticed in his excited inventory of the tent. It was one of those magnificent deer! The animal languidly moved to Artie's side, and put its head in her lap.
Smiling at it, she patted its neck. Harry never would have imagined those magnificent golden deer to be like house pets, but there it was. Maybe that was why they didn't seem to mind when Harry petted them.
"Harry, this is Zoë Nightshade, my lieutenant, and my oldest friend. Zoë, be known to Harry Potter, my… student, under the patronage of Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth and the Home."
Harry offered the girl a tentative smile. Zoë had coppery-colored skin, dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose, and had a silver circlet braided into the top of long dark hair. Harry sighed, as Zoë sent Artie another look that he couldn't decipher. "I want to get along with Miss Zoë, though," he muttered. He looked at the Hunter in question. "After everything Hestia said, and everything Artie said, you sound really awesome."
Zoë blinked. "I… thank thee?" she offered, not having expected a compliment of all things. Seeing himself on steadier ground, he stepped closer, and held out the Tupperware container. "Hestia said you liked these, so I baked some. I hope you like them."
Zoë glanced at her goddess, who seemed to be pouting for some reason, then stood up to accept the box. Opening the container, she picked out a cookie at random and studied it.
"It's alright, Zoë," Artemis said. "It was how he was introduced to me. I have come to… appreciate… his candor. Sometimes," she finished with a tightening of her eyes.
Harry felt trapped, despite having the exit to the tent behind him. The fact that he was the only one still standing, clutching that box of cookies and his notebook, made it feel like he had been dragged into the teacher's office at school.
He wasn't sure the cookies would be helpful now. Or even welcome, not with the way Zoë seemed to be glaring at him.
"I must admit to some amusement, though," Artie said, still smiling. "After your talk about how you were sure you would like my old friend, it seems that you are failing."
Harry frowned at her, and Zoë seemed to cast an unsure look at the goddess. "My Lady?" the Hunter asked, confused.
Artie turned to look at her companion, still smiling. "On the way here, we had a small discussion on appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Harry then told me that he liked me, despite the fact that I am rather indifferent towards men and boys. He also told me that he was sure that, since he likes me, he would like you, as well."
"It's not a nice thing to stir up trouble, Artie," Harry muttered with a pout. He was going to say more, but Zoë interrupted him.
"Despite thy assurances, thou would address My Lady with such disrespect, boy!?" She was halfway to her feet, when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Zoë. As I said, it was how Harry was introduced to me. He means no disrespect," Artie said, calming down the girl and making her sit. "I must admit it was quite childish of me. I merely wished to point out that plans do not always go as expected, and that sometimes, despite your best efforts, you sometimes can't get along with people." "It… appears fine," she said, as if unsure whether it was actually edible or not. Harry held
The Hunter nodded, then finished off the cookie. "'T is delicious," she admitted, as if it pained her. "I thank thee." She looked at the box. "I also hope Lady Hestia will not be upset at thou modifying her recipe."
Harry smiled widely. "Hestia loves it when I improvise. She says that the best way to learn is to experiment."
Some tension seemed to go out of Zoë's shoulders, and Harry wondered why that was. Until he remembered how Artie could get angry with him for silly little things like asking the wrong question, so he thought Zoë must have been concerned for his safety.
his breath when she bit into it.
Her eyed opened and a sound escaped her that she seemed to blush at. The cookie vanished into her mouth with incredible speed, and Harry let out his breath, smiling widely. She liked them.